[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 548 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 548

To assist citizens, public and private institutions, and governments at 
   all levels in planning, interpreting, and protecting sites where 
    historic battles were fought on American soil during the armed 
conflicts that shaped the growth and development of the United States, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 15, 2009

   Mr. Gary G. Miller of California (for himself, Mr. Brown of South 
   Carolina, Mr. Israel, and Mr. Gordon of Tennessee) introduced the 
    following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
                               Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To assist citizens, public and private institutions, and governments at 
   all levels in planning, interpreting, and protecting sites where 
    historic battles were fought on American soil during the armed 
conflicts that shaped the growth and development of the United States, 
                        and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Civil War Battlefield Preservation 
Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. AMERICAN BATTLEFIELD PROTECTION PROGRAM.

    The purpose of this Act is to assist citizens, public and private 
institutions, and governments at all levels in planning, interpreting, 
and protecting sites where historic battles were fought on American 
soil during the armed conflicts that shaped the growth and development 
of the United States, in order that present and future generations may 
learn and gain inspiration from the ground where Americans made their 
ultimate sacrifice.

SEC. 3. PRESERVATION ASSISTANCE.

    (a) In General.--Using the established national historic 
preservation program to the extent practicable, the Secretary of the 
Interior, acting through the American Battlefield Protection Program, 
shall encourage, support, assist, recognize, and work in partnership 
with citizens, Federal, State, local, and tribal governments, other 
public entities, educational institutions, and private nonprofit 
organizations in identifying, researching, evaluating, interpreting, 
and protecting historic battlefields and associated sites on a 
National, State, and local level.
    (b) Financial Assistance.--To carry out subsection (a), the 
Secretary may use a cooperative agreement, grant, contract, or other 
generally adopted means of providing financial assistance.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated $3,000,000 annually to carry out this section, to remain 
available until expended.

SEC. 4. BATTLEFIELD ACQUISITION GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Battlefield report.--The term ``Battlefield Report'' 
        means the document entitled ``Report on the Nation's Civil War 
        Battlefields'', prepared by the Civil War Sites Advisory 
        Commission, and dated July 1993.
            (2) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means a 
        State or local government.
            (3) Eligible site.--The term ``eligible site'' means a 
        site--
                    (A) that is not within the exterior boundaries of a 
                unit of the National Park System; and
                    (B) that is identified in the Battlefield Report.
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior, acting through the American Battlefield 
        Protection Program.
    (b) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a battlefield 
acquisition grant program under which the Secretary may provide grants 
to eligible entities to pay the Federal share of the cost of acquiring 
interests in eligible sites for the preservation and protection of 
those eligible sites.
    (c) Nonprofit Partners.--An eligible entity may acquire an interest 
in an eligible site using a grant under this section in partnership 
with a nonprofit organization.
    (d) Non-Federal Share.--The non-Federal share of the total cost of 
acquiring an interest in an eligible site under this section shall be 
not less than 50 percent.
    (e) Limitation on Land Use.--An interest in an eligible site 
acquired under this section shall be subject to section 6(f)(3) of the 
Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (16 U.S.C. 460l-8(f)(3)).
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary to provide grants under this section 
$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009 through 2013.
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